Typographical slug casting machine



March 31, 1942. R. H. scoTT Erm.

I TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed May 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1l March V31, 1942. R g, SCOTTEFAL 2,278,097v

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTNG MACHINE vFiled May 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Shea?I 2 Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Application May 8, 1940, Serial No. 333,932 In Great Britain May 15, 1939 1l Claims.

This invention relates to typographical slug casting machines, such as those known commercially under the registered trade-mark Linotype, and more particularly to machines provided with quadding and centering attachments, whereby either or both of the vise jaws between which a composed line of matrices is clamped during the casting operation, are automatically moved inward to close on to a line of less length than that for which the jaws are set.

In mechanism of this kind it is known to effect inward land outward movement of the jaws by means of a cam acting upon a reciprocating rod to which the jaw or jaws are connected as desired, through a system of levers embodying a spring member which applies the clamping pressure to the jaws. In the absence of special means which are sometimes providedv for limiting inward or outward movement of the line clamping jaws, the pressure exerted by the last-mentioned spring member is utilised to maintain the jaws in their inwardly moved position during justification of the line. In these circumstances, excessive justication is liable to occur with short lines containing few spacebands, the pressure of the justification spring exerted on the jaws through the long slides of the spacebands being suiiicient `when there are only one or two spacebands in the line to overcome the pressure on the jaws of the quadder spring. However, when there are a greater number of spacebands in the line this di'iculty does notk arise, apparently due to the fact that excess pressure of the justification spring is taken up in the operation of the additional spacebands.

The present invention avoids the above-mentioned diiculty by applying additional actuating power to the quadding mechanism upon excessive movement of the justification mechanism oocurring. This is carried out by mechanism whereby the actuating means for the justification mechanism is applied to supplement the actuating means for the quadding mechanism under conditions in which excessive justification is liable to occur.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention an arrangement is provided wherein excess pressure of the justification spring is applied to supplement the pressure of the quadder spring under conditions in which excessive justificationv is liable to occur.

A member of the justification mechanism may be connected with a member of the quadding or line clamping mechanism by means which are rendered operative by excessive motion of said f1 member of the justication mechanism to transmit the pressure of the justification spring to the line clamping jaws. y

In order that the invention may be clearly understood the same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the relative parts of a typographical composing machine embodying the invention, illustrating one form which it may assume;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of the slotted link shown in Figure 1 with its connections;

Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modification of the invention, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a further modification of the invention illustrating an alternative construction to that of Figure 2.

Referring in the rst instance to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, when quadding is carried out on typographical slug casting machines of the kind which are the subject ofthe present invention the vise jaws of the machine which carry the composed line of matrices at the time of the slug casting operation are closed by means of a cam l which operates a lever 2, which lever transmits the movement through the medium of a recoil spring box 3 to the quadder operating lever 4. 'I'he return movement of the lever 4 is imparted by means of the spring 5. The foregoing parts and their mode of operation are well known but if any further details are desired reference may be had to the Frolander U. S. Patent No. 1,971,400, dated August 28, 1934. Before the line is cast it is usually necessary to justify the same by eX- panding spacebands which are included therein together with the matrices so that the said line completely lls the space between the said vise jaws. The justification process is carried out in two stages by means of a bar which engages the lower ends of the spacebands successively, first from one end of the line and then from the other so that the expansion of the said spacebands is uniformly completed. The justification bar is raised by the operation of a justication lever and a separate lever is commonly employed for each stage of the process. In the embodiment of the invention at present being described the second justiiication lever which is the lever which controls the second stage of the justification process is shown at 6 and is lifted under the pressure of a spring against the controlling inuence of a cam, the said cam returning the lever to its lowered position. The cam and Spring are not shown in the accompanying drawings.

The justification lever 6 is provided with an adjustable slotted link I engaging by its slot 'Ia a stud 8 on the quadding lever 4 the said link being secured thereto by means of nuts and bolts. In the normal operation of the mechanism the quadding lever 4 rises to eiect inward movement of the vise jaws prior to the rising of the justification lever 6 to effect justification, and after casting, the justification lever G drops to inoperative position before the quadding lever 4 is re'- turned to its inoperative position and the full unobstructed movement of the justification lever 6 is greater than the operative movementV of the quadding lever 4. The slot 'Ia in the abovementioned link 'I permits of the free operative movement of the quadder lever 4 until the latter is arrested by the jaws coming into contact with the line; the subsequent operative movement of the justification lever 6, in the event of such movement exceeding that required for normal justification of the line, will bring the slotted link 'l into action on the stud of the quadder lever 4 and transmit further pressure therethrough to the quadding mechanism, thus pre-- venting excessive justification by the increased pressure so applied.

It is to be observed that no interference can occur in the operation of the justifying mechanism when the quadding mechanism is not in action, as the quadder lever then has an idle movement which carries its stud along the slot in the link to a position in which it cannot be affected by the upward movement of the link.

In some cases the machine is set for quadding and no spacebands are used and in such case the full pressure of the justification spring is applied to assist the quadder spring in maintaining the lock-up of the line clamping jaws.

In theV arrangement shown in Figure 4 the quadder cam is omitted but the lever 2, the spring 3, the quadder lever 4, the spring 5 and the justication lever 6 represents the parts that are designated by these reference numerals in Figure 1. In this arrangement, however, a shackle 9 is secured to the justification lever 6 by means of nuts I0 and is provided at its lower end with a foot II which extends at right angles below the quadder lever 4. The arrangement is such that when the quadder lever 4 is arrested by the vise jaw coming into Contact with the matrix line, further pressure will be exerted thereon by means of the foot II being raised by' the lever 6 thereby preventing excessive justification taking place.

Figure 5 shows a modified form of connection between the justification lever and the quadder lever 4 wherein the link I2 is secured to the justification lever 6 by means of a band I3 and nuts I4. In the arrangement shown the link I2 is in two parts, a lower part I5 in the form of a stirrup and the upper portion Il, the said parts being joined by means of a pin I6. If

desired, however, the said link may be formed in one piece. The quadder lever 4 is disposed within the stirrup I5 so that, if necessary, further pressure can be exerted therethrough to the quaddingj mechanism so as to prevent excessive justification. The link I2 thus operates in the same manner as the slotted link '1 shown in Figures 1`, 2 and 3V and the shackle 9 with its foot II shown in Figure 4.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination with quadding mechanism and justification mechanism for said matrix line, of means for applying additional actuating power to the quadding mechanism in the event of excessive movement of the justification mechanism.

2. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination with quadding mechanism, actuating means for said quadding mechanism, justication mechanism and actuating means therefor, of means controlled by the actuating means for the justification mechanism adapted to supplement the actuating means for the quadding mechanism under conditions in which excessive justification is liable to occur.

3. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of spring actuated quadding mechanism adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said jaws, spring actuated justification mechanism for said matrix line, and means adapted to apply the pressure of the justication mechanism to supplement the pressure of quadder mechanism under conditions inv which excessive justification is liable to occur.

4. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of spring actuated quadding mechanism adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said jaws, spring actuated justification mechanism for said matrix line and a connection between said quadding mechanism and said justication mechanism operative upon excessive motion of the justification mechanism to transmit pressure from the latter to the quadding mechanism.

5. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of a spring actuated and cam controlled quadder lever adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said vise jaws, a spring actuated justification lever, and means adapted to apply pressure of said justication lever to supplement the pressure on said quadder mechanism under conditions in which excessive justication is liable to occur.

6. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of a spring actuated and cam controlled quadder lever adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said vise jaws, a spring actuated justification lever, and a member connecting said quadder lever and said justification lever adapted to apply pressure to said quadder lever upon excessive movement of said justification lever.

7. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of a spring actuated and cam controlled quadder lever adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said vise jaws, a justification lever, a link attached to said justification lever, said link having a slot therein and a stud on said quadder lever engaging in said slot, so that in the event of the movement of said justification lever being in excess of that required for justication of the line further pressure is exerted on said quadder lever.

3. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of a'spring actuated and cam controlled quadder lever adapted to exert pressure on at least one of said vise jaws, a justification lever and a shackle attached to. said justication lever, said shackle having a foo-t extending below said quadder lever, so that in the event of the movement of the justication lever being in excess of that required for justincation of the line further pressure is exerted on said quadder lever.

9. In a typographical slug casting machine of the kind referred to, equipped with vise jaws for clamping a composed matrix line in casting position, the combination of a spring actuated and cam controlled quadder lever adapted to eX- ert pressure on one of said vise jaws, -a justification lever and a link attached to said justication lever, said link having its lower part in the forni of a loop surrounding said quadder lever so that in the event of the movement of the justication lever being in excess of that required for justification of the line further pressure is exerted on said quadder lever.

10. A method of casting a type slug from a quadded and justified line of matrices and spacebands, characterized in that over-justification of the line is prevented by increasing the quadding pressure on the line as liability to lexcessive expansion of the spacebands occurs.

11. In a typographical slug casting machine, equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws, one movable toward the other for quadding, the combination of mechanism for effecting such quadding movement of the jaw, line justifying mechanism, and automatic means for limiting the line justifying movement of said justifying mechanism when the jaw is in quadding position (in order to pre-vent over-justication of the line during a quadding operation.

RICHARD HENRY SCOTT. WILLIAM FAIRALL GORSE. ARTHUR STANILAND- HAYWARD. 

